New Homes IN Lancaster Pa

Big model homes have been sitting unsold, building permits for new homes has slowed significantly, new home builders have very little work if any at all, employees and sub-contractors who have had steady work in fields related to new home construction are out of work. To top it all off, energy costs are out of control.

Is Bigger Better?

The answer to that question will require much more thought and soul-searching than it initially appears. After all to live in a smaller space with one-another can be difficult. It certainly is much easier to 'build big' so each child can have their own bedroom, play and work areas In this way, each can retreat to their own private space's to avoid conflicts and noisy arguments. So to avoid these conflicts? Solution, we 'build bigger', pay higher energy costs, property taxes and maintenance.

We hope your search for a competent, licensed, fully-insured contractor has ended with your visit to this website. When you call Brookline Builders you deal directly with me, Jon Owens, owner of the company and master carpenter since 1990. My crew and I look forward to assisting you with any and all of your contracting needs, to include:

NEVER SKIP OBTAINING BUILDING PERMITS

As a builder and remodeling contractor for over 20 years, I have dealt with hundreds of customers and potential customers. I view every person who contacts me as a potential customer and I have found that almost every single one asks the same question "Do I need a Building Permit"?

Although the below list is not nearly exhaustive, it does list a few reasons why it is a good idea as well as a requirement to obtain a building permit.

INSPECTION
Obtaining a permit guarantees that the work completed will be inspected. If you contact a contractor and they suggest that a permit is not needed, it would be wise to question the experience and quality of that company, after all if the work is completed properly there is nothing to be afraid of when the inspector comes around.

A quality contractor will carry insurance as well as the proper Home Improvement license, this insurance and license is in place to protect you the home owner. The inspector has insurance also, if the inspector passes off on a shoddy electrical job and the building catches fire, the ultimate responsible party is the inspection agency. This is why the inspection agency's are required to carry such high limits

SAFETY
Obtaining a permit places the responsibility for a safety code review on the inspection agency. One of the things a inspection agency looks for are safety issues like smoke detectors, enough outlets to eliminate the use of extension cords, windows that are fire resistant when located within a certain distance of a fire escape..... The list goes on and on.

Did you know that even main bearing beams in the attic of a brick house are required to be cut with a certain profile on the end? This allows the beam to fall inward and downward in case of a fire instead of the end kicking out and pushing down the brick wall.

QUALITY CONTROL
Most cities have a code that only allow three layers of roofing material on a house. If the third layer has passed it's lifetime and you need a new roof, adding a fourth layer seems like it would save money, but the code says they all must be removed. If the roof collapses after a snow because of the added weight of the fourth layer......... suddenly that savings of a few hundred dollars doesn't seem like all that much.

The same is true of deck posts. Code in eastern Pa, requires the footing of a deck post to be 36 inches below the surface. If you don't get a permit, you won't get an inspection and your contractor might take the easy way out and only go two feet deep while you are away. Come winter and in the middle of a deep freeze, frozen soil doesn't stop for anything and before you know it the deck has lifted a few inches. In a matter of a few seasons it will start to fall apart as well as your grill rolling down the slope of your new deck.

Protect yourself and your investment by hiring an approved, licensed and insured builder and contractor.

Jonathan Owens owner of Brookline Builders Inc in Lancaster County Pa, is a Lancaster County native, started Brookline Builders 21 years ago. Although Brookline Builders will complete all your residential and commercial construction needs in Lancaster County as well as surrounding counties, Jonathan personally enjoys all types of historic restoration.

Footers in Lancaster Pa

Build your new structure on a solid footing.The bottom of a typical new home footing in Lancaster Pa must be 36" below the final soil height. Depending on the amount of weight that will be bearing on the footers, they will sometimes measure 24" wide x 8" deep, but sometimes up to 36" wide by 12 inches or more deep.
It is recommended that a footer be of 2500 psi concrete and have two pieces of rebar running continuously along the entire footer, centered in the concrete. The rebar is usually tied at the joints using rebar ties. There is a tool that can be purchased that will make rebar tying easier and faster.

Often if you are installing a poured concrete wall on top of the footers, rebar will be installed into the footer before the concrete sets up, and stick up a foot or two into the centerline of where the new wall will be poured.

The new concrete footer does not need have a fine finish on it when laying a cinder block on top of it. This is because the mortar for the starter course of block should have a rougher type of surface for better bonding.

Brookline Builders has built many new structures in Lancaster Pa such as homes, additions, garages and even retaining walls.

Good Homes and Additions in Lancaster Pa.

What makes the difference between a 'good' builder for your home or addition and a 'bad' builder?

After all isn't the building code the same for all builders? The builder must comply with all current building codes, so from this perspective the end result should be the same.

Brookline Builders would like to suggest the biggest difference is in the execution during the building project. Brookline Builders will build your good home or addition and you will have access to login to the website to follow the schedule. You will receive automated updates if there has been a change in the schedule.

Brookline's web application will seamlessly communicate to all sub-contractors on the job to update them as well to changes in material selections and scheduling.

One other difference between a good homes and additions builder and one that isn't is this. Building with a long term sustainable energy and resource goal in mind. Brookline Builders is a big advocate for building up on your existing home rather than building an addition or a new home. Building up doesn't contribute to the impervious surface coverage of your property. Looking back just a few years ago, Lancaster County Pa had alot more unpaved surfaces that what it does now. If you build a new home or an addition you are contributing to impervious surface areas and less area for rain water to soak into the ground.

Build Small, Build Up not Out, Build Green! If you are looking for good homes or additions contact Brookline Builders a Lancaster County Pa builder since 1990.

Top Quality Construction by Brookline Builders.

Brookline Builders Inc of Lancaster Pa, strives to offer the best top quality construction in the area. Established in 1990 by Jonathan Owens at the age of 19. Jonathan Owens picked the name Brookline because his dream was to someday own a home that had a small bubbling brook.

Brookline Builders strives to build sustainable, efficient and 'green', either when building your new home, adding a second floor or and addition. Energy costs are at an all time high, don't waste long term income by committing it to paying for the square footage on a 'big' house that you may never utilize to it's fullest. Many big homes are huge energy wasters and are primarily built for show. Remember a house has never visited someone's deathbed!

Besides the top quality construction that Brookline Builders offers, we also offer an interactive website to our home and addition customers. If you are a customer of Brookline's we will provide you with a password for complete access to the details of scheduling of your project. If you need to know the deadline of when the electrical fixtures need to be selected, the website will send an email reminding you to head to the lighting showroom. After all you don't want to be responsible for delaying the completion of your own project.

Home Additions Builder in Lancaster Pa.

Contact Brookline Builders Inc of Lancaster Pa, a family owned Home Additions Builder since 1990.

We have an extensive portfolio of completed projects over the past years. If you are in the lookout for a home additions builder, check out our website for pictures and more info. Then contact Brookline and we will assist you with the design of your home addition then will organize the construction using our advanced website.

Our website scheduling application will communicate the entire schedule and is available 24 hours a day. It will alert you to changes in the schedule as well as give you the customer deadlines for when your product selections must be made.

Brookline Builders is an advocate for Green Building techniques. One of our motto's is: Build Green, Build an Addition

If you want the schedule for your next remodeling project at your fingertips, hire Brookline Builders Inc.

Our website offers a complete scheduling application that will allow you to access the entire construction timeline 24 hours a day.

If you want to keep on top of all the many selections that need to be made, contract with Brookline Builders and use their website to keep track of all paint colors, fixture selections, exterior finishes and more. Brookline Builders subcontractors use the website to follow the schedule and get the information they need for their part of your project. No other contractor in Lancaster Pa offers this type of versatility and communication that is so beneficial to our customers.

Brookline Builders also is an advocate for adding onto your existing home either with an addition or better yet by adding a second or third floor. If you add a livable story to your home you have not added to the impervious surface of this earth we live on. The more green space we all contribute, the cooler we are and the more ground water we will have.

Why not install a storm water collection pit for your existing home, even if the township doesn't require it? Every time there is a gusher rainstorm, and we don't collect that water and return it to the ground, the more we contribute to the erosion problem and lower ground water that we have in this area.

Build Small, Build Green, We are Remodelers Plus MORE Contact Brookline Builders for your next addition or remodeling project.

Free Estimates for Remodeling

What should I expect in a free estimate for remodeling? A good contractor should be willing to submit a preliminary free estimate for the proposed construction work. The recent Pa contractor license requires all contractors in Pa to provide a detailed contract to the customer for all paid home improvements. Free estimates now take a bit longer than normal.

Brookline Builders will provide one hour of free consultation at your proposed job location and a free preliminary scope of work for the proposed remodeling project, however it is just that, preliminary. Often changes will need to be made to this free estimate or scope of work. Depending on how much time is required Brookline may charge for additional plans, meetings or changes to the scope of work.

Once this preliminary scope of work has been refined, and changes have been made and communicated, it will be changed to a final scope of work and made part of the remodeling contract. The key to a successful remodeling experience is all in the communications between builder and customer, so the more time spent in the planning stages of the project, the better the final result

Contracting with a Contractor in Lancaster Pa

Brookline offers many choices. In fact it is easy to get overwhelmed with the number of contractors in Lancaster Pa.

The power of a word of mouth recommendation from a friend or neighbor is one of the main ways Brookline Builders obtains work.

But now with the insurgence of web searches and resources, the web is certainly becoming a good source for finding a good Lancaster Pa remodeling contractor.

Check out Brookline Builders Inc. extensive portfolio of past projects. Now you the potential customer can actually see pictures of some of the projects Brookline has completed in Lancaster Pa, something you can't see from a word of mouth referal.

Home Additions in Lancaster Pa

If you would like to build a home addition in Lancaster or surrounding counties, the first thing you must do is obtain preliminary plans for the project.

A good builder and design team will be able to direct you during the preliminary plan process as to whether the proposed home addition will meet current township zoning laws. It wouldn't be wise to complete the plans only to find out the addition is encroaching on a right-a-way, or that you have exceeded the impervious lot coverage..

Once preliminary plans for the home addition are completed you can either move on to final plans if you have picked the builder, or you could put the job out to bid.

Remember though, the builder, design team you are working with may not allow you to take the plans for other contractors to bid unless you have previously discussed and agreed to this arraignment.

If you have picked a builder for your home addition, then it is time for the building permits. Building permits can take anywhere from 7 to 30 days to obtain here in Lancaster Pa. Permit offices can't be rushed and it doesn't help to pester them.

When the building permit for your new home addition is in hand the excitement begins. For most home additions you should allow two - four months for completion.

Contact Brookline Builders, a Lancaster Pa home addition specialist and will perform all types construction services.